Mediation to begin for our Fair Labelling Practices and Food Safety Inspectors

Ducharme calls on MPs and Senators to defend

current bilingualism policies at DND

‘Rand’ sign-up campaign: Our new monthly winner for February!

Mediation to begin for our Fair Labelling Practices and Food Safety Inspectors

(Posted March 29, 2007)

After a long wait, mediation sessions have been scheduled for April 4 and 5 for our Fair Labelling Practices and Food Safety Inspectors. These EG-03 members are employed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

The Ottawa meetings will involve a representative from the Public Service Alliance (as our bargaining agent), the CFIA and a mediator from the Public Service Labour Relations Board.

We will provide our members with updates as matters develop further.

Ducharme calls on MPs and Senators to defend current bilingualism policies at DND

(Posted March 18, 2007)

National President Yves Ducharme is urging the Members of Parliament and Senators to resist measures being taken by the Department of National Defence to undermine current bilingualism policies.

A sample copy of Ducharme’s letter to Parliamentarians follows:

                                                                                                        March 14, 2007

Mr. Patrick Martin, M.P.
House of Commons
Parliament Buildings,
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0A6

Dear Mr. Martin:

Re: Bilingualism - Department of National Defence

It is with some considerable shock and deep disappointment that I first learned of new Department of National Defence regulations abandoning a long-standing requirement that its officers become proficient in both official languages.

The Agriculture Union, a Component of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, represents language teachers at DND training facilities across the country. It is our strongly-held view that these new regulations discredit previous efforts towards bilingualism, in both the military and the broader populace. Carried to their logical conclusion, they will also end up creating operational inefficiencies within the Canadian Armed Forces that could well imperil the security and effectiveness of our troops in the field.

Allow me to provide an example of our concerns. What will happen in a future situation when a unilingual anglophone officer finds himself or herself commanding unilingual francophone soldiers? Under battlefield conditions, this becomes a matter of life and death. Organizing military units by language will deepen the isolation and lack of understanding between linguistic groups; this can only serve to increase tensions between anglophone and francophone soldiers at a time when there has arguably never been a clearer need for solidarity in the ranks.

Let us not forget that the men and women who comprise our military have volunteered – often at considerable personal sacrifice – to place their very lives on the line to serve and defend our rights and freedoms. Surely they too have rights? Should not one of these be the right to receive orders from superior officers in their mother tongue?

It is in this light that I am asking that you, as a Member of Parliament, to contact the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence to insist that these new regulations be recinded. I would also request that you urge the government to finalize the contract on the planned construction of new language-training facilities at the Fort St-Jean campus of the Canadian Forces language school in St-Jean, Quebec. Construction of these new facilities will ensure the long-term viability of a school that has won global recognition for its superior delivery of courses, in both English and French, to military personnel from around the world.

Taking the above measures would go a long way in reinforcing bilingualism within the Canadian Armed Forces, while by extension forging greater national unity. It would also ensure that the federal government is able to keep the valuable services of bilingual language teachers, program developers, and technical and administrative support staff. The majority of these skilled workers, I might add, are women.

In moving to adopt these new regulations, it would seem to us that the Minister of National Defence is either unaware of the importance of the Official Languages Act, or has turned a blind eye to its provisions. Either case is unacceptable.

At this stage of our national development, both the Agriculture Union and the PSAC believe that the current DND regulations should remain in place, permitting both anglophone and francophone Canadian military personnel to proudly represent their country and its values both at home and abroad.

In closing, allow me to share the observations of one St-Jean anglophone language-school graduate now serving in Afghanistan. As part of a letter of thanks to his former language professor, he wrote of one specific incident:

“As my radios were out, I had to speak with the troopers…in order to pass the information to our higher HQ. As it turns out Cpl. C did not speak any English. Thanks to your French instruction, I was able to pass on all of the critical information to the crew regarding the situation, the nature and the extent of the injuries. We were thus able to continue with our mission.”

I know of no words that could better attest to the necessity of continued and expanded official languages training within the Canadian Armed Forces.

                                                                                    Sincerely,

                                                                                    Yves Ducharme,
                                                                                     National President

c.c. John Gordon, National President - PSAC
       NBoD – PSAC
       National Council – Agriculture Union

‘Rand’ sign-up campaign: Our new monthly winner for February!

(Posted March 12, 2007)

Congratulations to Sarah Corbett from Local 20064 in Victoria, British Columbia.   She is our monthly winner for February in our coast-to-coast campaign to sign up ‘Rands’, dues-paying co-workers who, for one reason or another, have yet to sign a union card.

In addition to a new Agriculture Union mug, Sarah is eligible for our year-end grand prize draw – two round-trip tickets to anywhere in Canada that Air Canada flies, or $1,000 in cash.

Welcome, Sarah, to the Agriculture Union!

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